NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said he “examined the totality of the circumstances and relied on the facts,” noting he believes he reached the right decision.

“In this case the unintended consequence of Mr. Garner’s death must have a consequence of its own. Therefore I agree with the Deputy Commissioner of Trial’s legal findings and recommendations. It is clear that Daniel Pantaleo can no longer effectively serve as a New York City Police Officer,” O’Neill said.

“In carrying out the court’s verdict in this case, I take no pleasure. I know that many will disagree with this decision, and that is their right. There are absolutely no victors here today. Not the Garner family, not the community at large, and certainly not the courageous men and women of the Police Department who put their own lives on the line every single day in service to the people of this great city. Today is a day of reckoning, but can also be a day of reconciliation,” O’Neill said.

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill was just asked what he’d say to the family of Eric Garner.

Here’s how he responded:

“From day one, we said that there was going to be a fair and impartial trial. This is the result. Make no mistake about it, this is a tragedy for the Garner family. I fully understand that. Mr. Garner was somebody’s son, somebody’s dad. Everybody in the NYPD understands that.”

Pantaleo will not receive his NYPD pension

Daniel Pantaleo will not receive his New York Police Department pension, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill just said.

O’Neill said whatever contributions Pantaleo has already made towards his pension will be returned to him.

Here’s what the NYPD chief said before announcing Pantaleo’s firing

Before announcing Daniel Pantaleo’s firing, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill had a lengthy introduction describing the tough decisions police must often make.

“Every day in New York, people receive summons or arrested by officers without any physical force being used. But some people choose to verbally and/or physically resist the enforcement action lawfully being taken against them,” he said

“Those situations are unpredictable and dangerous to everyone involved. The street is never the right place to argue the appropriateness of an arrest. That is what our courts are for. Being a police officer is one of the hardest jobs in the world.”

O’Neill went on to explain the series of events that led to his decision today.

“No one believes that officer Pantaleo got out of bed on July 17, 2014, thinking he would make choices and take actions during an otherwise routine arrest that lead to another person’s death. But officer’s choices and actions even made under extreme pressure matter. It is unlikely that Mr. Garner thought he was in such poor help health that a brief struggle with the police would lead to his death. He should have decided against resisting arrest, but a man with a family lost his life. And that is an irreversible tragedy. And a hard-working police officer with a family and a man that took this job to do good, to make a difference in his home community has now lost his chosen career. And that is different kind of tragedy.”